I was treated very well, and it was relatively easy to get up to speed on things

Cons

Tough to get in - Working there as a contractor and getting praise and great reviews yet still getting dear John letters in reply when posting for internal positions

Advice to ManagementAdvice

LOVED working there... One thing did jump out, they do love to promote from within which is wonderful, however, great technical people do not always make good people managers, and that did seem to happen a bit more there than other places I have been, that was only real thing I saw on occasion I would personally work more on.

Current Employee - Software Development Manager in Research Triangle Park, NC

Current Employee - Software Development Manager in Research Triangle Park, NC

I have been working at Cisco Systems full-time (more than a year)

Pros

Transparent leadership (starts from the top with John Chambers)Progressive company, management doesn't run away from issues but deals with them head onTechnology available to employees is second to noneFlexibility

Cons

San Jose based company that needs to be reminded about the time difference with RTP at times. :)

Company provided excellent benefits including great salaries and 401k marching that vests immediately. Work life balance can be managed in certain roles. Options for telecommuting allow great flexibility.

Cons

Opportunities for career growth are lacking Management seems opposed to lateral moves that Can help individuals develop a career if they do not see how it contributes to their specific organization.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

To retain employees, provide clear opportunities for career development, especially for new hires in the university program.

I have been working at Cisco Systems as a contractor (more than a year)

Pros

- Competent management. At least my immediate boss is pretty amazing. He doesn't micromanage and takes care of all the politics so I don't have to.

- Challenging environment. Being a cutting-edge shop there is always demand for you to learn more skills and contribute more. I found it very easy to contribute at a level above my paygrade, which made me indispensable to my team.

- Smart peers. These are the most competent coworkers I've ever had. They make me feel like a dummy on a regular basis but never hesitate to teach or show me new things. Very humble, good for a laugh or a joke, very hardworking.

Cons

- Getting converted from a contractor to full-time is a big giant question mark. Despite contributing amazing results, it still may not happen due to machinations going on higher up in the food chain.

- Having to get in on contract (and thus through recruiters) is a hassle. Recruiting firms are generally incompetent and selfish in my personal experience.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

- Spend some time/money to source contractors directly. You'll save yourself time and aggravation. I have applied directly to other large companies and the process was much less painful than having to go through a consulting agency. That could just be my personal bias as I really dislike working with recruiters.

- Be a little more consistent with hiring/firing seasons. An arbitrary hiring freeze mixed in with an unexpected round of layoffs destroys morale and prevents departments that NEED more help from growing. Some of the teams I support seem to have a blank check for hiring and yet those groups that support the growing teams don't have any ability to expand to keep up.

they try to promote a work-life balance although you may work long hours when it comes to certain projects. Great place for flexibility and buffer to learn new stuff. Able to work from home on most occasions. The benefits are excellent! The work culture is exceptional; everybody is willing to pitch in and help out whenever possible. And there are tons of resources to use.

Cons

there are plenty of work compensation and promotion complaints. Most importantly there have been at least 4-5 job lay-offs in the last decade...

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Develop an effective plan that will help appease the compensation and promotion complaints. Also ease the fear of employees being laid off year after year.

Flexibility in work hours and location, with the clear expectation that work must be done on-time, and with quality results.

Cons

Very complex company, and will take a new employee a long time to ramp up and understand the company as a whole...Years to understand it holistically. This is because there is not a traditional hierarchical org structure - rather think of it like many moving parts with virtual teams organized quickly and constant restructures.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Trust your people, and keep letting them work anytime anywhere - when appropriate.